Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Sunday that it has taken control of the army’s 6th Division Headquarters in El-Fasher, the last major stronghold of government forces in the Darfur region a development that could significantly alter the course of Sudan’s ongoing civil war.
In a statement posted on social media, the RSF claimed to have destroyed “large military vehicles” and seized substantial equipment during the assault. BBC Verify confirmed the authenticity of videos circulating online showing RSF fighters inside the captured base.
The fall of the army headquarters represents a critical setback for Sudan’s military. El-Fasher has been under siege for 18 months, with tens of thousands of civilians trapped amid relentless bombardments. The city’s fall would give the RSF near-total control over Darfur, leaving government forces confined mainly to parts of northern and eastern Sudan. The army has yet to issue an official response.
Satellite imagery from August revealed the construction of extensive earthworks around El-Fasher a sign of the army’s desperation to contain the RSF’s advance and control the civilian population. Over recent weeks, RSF forces have closed in on the 6th Infantry Division from multiple directions, overwhelming the city’s defences.
While some neighbourhoods remain under army and allied militia control, analysts say their position is untenable. Food and medical supplies have dwindled, and widespread hunger and disease are spreading through the city’s population of roughly 300,000 trapped residents.
The UN has accused the RSF of committing atrocities during the siege, including crimes against humanity, while the US government has labelled the group’s actions in Darfur as genocide against non-Arab communities.
Sudan descended into civil war in 2023 after a violent power struggle erupted between RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo known as Hemedti and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The conflict has since claimed more than 150,000 lives and displaced over 12 million people, creating one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
The RSF now controls nearly all of Darfur and much of the neighbouring Kordofan region. Analysts warn that the group’s capture of El-Fasher could mark the prelude to a political shift, as the RSF reportedly plans to establish a rival administration in the region cementing Sudan’s de facto fragmentation.
